“I-I, as you surely already know, am the third son of the Caesius Family……”
“Enough excuses, and there’s no need to recite what I already know. Say something that will convince me.”
His Highness tapped my neck with his finger as if giving me one more chance. Even though I didn’t know when my life might end, my mind strangely became calm. It was because this person was maintaining a terribly rational face, unlike earlier.
“First, I heard you say you would take me with you before I fainted. So I wasn’t surprised when I woke up in an unfamiliar place, and naturally assumed Your Highness would return. I swear I had no ulterior motives.”
I didn’t have the courage to lie and say I didn’t know about this place. It was an action born from the intersection of fear that I would be caught immediately and the emotion that the situation of having to confess a lie to His Highness was overwhelming.
“No matter how lacking in qualities as a knight you are, you know what a knight’s oath means, right?”
The moment a knight uttered the word “swear” before their liege, they could be executed on the spot if they broke it. A formal oath required more process, but a knight in their right mind wouldn’t carelessly utter the word “swear.” Aila didn’t seem to be in his right mind, but the mind was Tienas’s, so I obediently answered, “Yes. I spoke knowing that.”
“Right. Even if I overlook that and turn a blind eye…… how did you know assassins would come to the Imperial Palace? That information was only known to me and my guard knights.”
His Highness never said he believed me, nor did he release my neck. Nevertheless, the change of topic was a good sign. I had already prepared an answer for this question, so it was rather better.
‘The Caesius Family’s power is brief conversation with the dead, so I mustn’t say anything about prophecy. A stupid excuse like overhearing it in passing won’t work either.’
As I thought about it, “brief conversation with the dead” fit my situation too well and made my heart sink, but I couldn’t fall into deep thought with His Highness before me.
“I heard it from a competent information broker. Originally I went to ask who would come to today’s banquet, but I had prepared more money than expected so I heard it together. However, I couldn’t know the exact information, so while looking around I ended up encountering them.”
I’m sorry, but I decided to sell out Kevin. I planned to hide his name, so I could only hope he wouldn’t resent me too much.
“Right. So you came to save me after hearing that? You could have just told the knights, but you’re saying you wandered around looking for assassins whose location you didn’t even know.”
“You are the one who will become the Empire’s sun, so I only did what was natural.”
Instead of fabricating plausible words like “I didn’t think the knights would believe me” or “I didn’t think they’d really be there,” I decided to play dumb. Even knowing His Highness was speaking sarcastically, I answered without thinking about the underlying meaning.
“Who taught you the sword?”
“Though my skill is lacking, I learned at the Academy.”
It wasn’t just lacking but disastrous skill. Probably the instructors at the Academy would tremble with humiliation if Aila said he learned from them.
‘But why is he asking such things? Is he planning to expel me from the knights for insufficient skill?’
If so, rather than pressuring me like this, he would have issued orders to change the knights’ training methods without me noticing or to purge useless knights.
‘No. Let’s not try to deduce things unnecessarily. I’ve never succeeded in trying to understand this person’s depths.’
In the first place, I kept information brokers close because I couldn’t read the inner thoughts of palace people well. Even after dying and coming back to life, it was natural that I couldn’t read the purpose of the most noble person.
“For something learned at the Academy, your way of using the sword was very peculiar. At least it’s from a school I’ve never seen at any Academy I know in the Empire.”
Strangely, this conversation didn’t end. What I used against the assassins was closer to reflexes and movements based on prophecy rather than swordsmanship, so it was natural it didn’t belong to any school. Since he was the person with the finest swordsmanship in the Imperial Palace, I wondered if he mistook my terrible skill for peculiar swordsmanship.
“I moved without thinking, so it’s insufficient to call it any school. Your Highness, were you watching my battle?”
“Well. To say I watched the battle, I only saw you deliberately take a sword hit and dodge the attack from the one who appeared from behind at the end.”
Then it made sense that he appeared at the right moment before I was struck by the sword. When he looked because of the commotion, I would have been rolling on the ground with a serious injury. My plan to draw out the assassins in advance and buy time had worked well.
“Why? Were you resentful thinking I allowed you to be injured?”
However, the next words were so unbelievable I wanted to jump up on the spot. I held back the urge to wave both hands frantically and bowed my head.
“How could that be! I was embarrassed for showing an inadequate appearance. A knight’s role is to protect their liege, isn’t it?”
Now, unlike when I was His Highness’s guard knight, it was insufficient to call him my liege, but since I belonged to the Imperial Palace anyway, it wasn’t completely wrong. As I couldn’t raise my head, His Highness made a sound as if measuring something, then clicked his tongue low.
“Let me ask one last thing. Why did you try to save me even sacrificing your body?”
The answer that immediately came to mind was that I was a knight and had a duty to protect His Highness with my life. Even if the direct relationship with my liege was gone because my body died, asking me to suddenly change my way of life after living that way my whole life was like asking me to walk on my hands.
“I believe it’s the mindset a knight should naturally have.”
But once I actually voiced my thoughts, it felt too much like a lie. It was because I kept thinking the real reason I ran to that place was due to a more personal, ugly yet precious feeling. My head lowered further.
“You’re being evasive.”
It was directed at me, but it was a strange way of speaking that also didn’t seem meant for me to hear. The tone was bleak, making me tense, wondering if it was a warning.
“I apologize.”
“No. What more could I scold a very excellent knight for? If you have a wish, speak. Since you discovered the assassins, I’ll grant you one thing you want.”
Since he was someone with clear rewards and punishments, it wasn’t a strange proposal. However, if he already knew assassins would come, he would have already prepared, so I wouldn’t have been of much use. Considering that, it was also very merciful words. It was certainly something Aila would never hear again. Then I wanted to use this opportunity to convey my wish.
“I only wish for Your Highness the Crown Prince to spend peaceful and honorable days.”
I hoped he would escape from the shadow of the dead Tiel and walk straight again without deviating from the path he had originally walked. No, actually it was okay even if it wasn’t straight. I only wished there would be no obstacles blocking his path. Though my request had no power, if His Highness could choose a bright path while recalling this request even for a moment, I wanted to help however slightly.
Because it was a conceptual request, I thought His Highness would smile gently and answer, “I shall do so.”
“That’s an arrogant and impossible request.”
However, the answer that returned was utterly cold. He might regard Aila that hostilely. Or perhaps because I wasn’t His Highness’s person, there was no need to treat me kindly.
“If you have no other request, I’ll consider it unheard. You may leave.”
His Highness stopped pressuring Aila and handed the sword to a knight. Then he headed straight to the bed. Since it was His Highness’s bedchamber, there was nothing wrong with him heading to the bed itself. However, for me who knew Tiel’s corpse was there, my tongue could only stiffen.
His Highness, who sat on the bed, looked at the corpse whose soul had long since departed as if it were lovely, then stroked its cheek with his hand. It was a gesture more careful and filled with deeper emotion than the attitude toward his fiancée I had seen before.
I was here, yet His Highness was pouring affection I had never received onto my corpse. I couldn’t know where that affection originated from or who it was directed toward.
‘If that corpse is being used for some greater cause, I wish someone would tell me.’
An unidentifiable wretchedness rushed in, and a fire ignited in my stomach. These were emotions I was feeling for the first time.
“Do I need to tell you to leave one more time?”
Nevertheless, all I could do was follow his command. Before the door closed, a clear voice followed.
“When coincidences continue, I have no choice but to think someone’s intention is involved. If you wish to protect your own safety, pray there won’t be a next coincidence.”
As if no answer was needed, the bedchamber door closed firmly.
